Nil here! It's been a while since I updated this, and a hell of a lot has changed!
First off, I'm human (for the moment.) Got erased from existence, but even that couldn't put me down forever!
I've been in Galar for a couple of months. My current plan? Take on the Gym Challenge, because why not, and find a way to get home!
Cheers, Rotomblr! My mate Nil asked me to introduce myself. You can call me Hop, future Champion of Galar! I know what Nil's done in the past... still not sure how I feel about it all, but they're my friend and I'll stick by them no matter what.
Aw man, you're gonna make me blush. I've got another friend, but they won't be on here for the moment. Just me and Hop for now!
Oh yeah, he/him for Hop and anything works for me. Except "it," I'm not some lab experiment gone wrong.
Mod Kirby here again of @kirbys-rotomblr-hub! Nil has gone through a LOT since they last logged on, including the total destruction of their home universe, becoming a multiversal fugitive, hiding in Glitch City, and eventually being annihilated by Avery and falling to Galar in a human form.
They began almost powerless, but every gym badge they obtain grants them some of their original abilities. They currently have 8 Gym Badges and have regained the following powers: fourth wall breaking, accessing private Internet messages, extreme regeneration, data storage, the ability to inflict visual glitches, code manipulation, shapeshifting, and possession/mind control.
During the fall, Nil lost some of their memories, specifically those related to Galar's history, the Darkest Day, and Macro Cosmos. This is to prevent them messing with the plot too much.
Nil is still a very problematic character! Not entirely pure evil,(because I just really stink at making pure evil characters lmao) but let's not forget they wiped out their entire home universe. They're trying to learn and grow, but that growth will take time. Expect frequent backsliding!
Missingno is really only an approximation of their species. Nil is a member of a group of Pokemon called the Phobos Quartet, anomalous Pokemon with exceptionally high stats and powerful abilities who were created when humanity's fears coalesced into a sentient being.
Nil's blog will frequently dive into topics of Pokemon harm/abuse, gore, technological harm, and occasional existentialism and meta content. You may want to avoid interacting if these subjects are harmful to you!
Everything is currently disabled for story purposes, but this may change down the line.
Status update. Rose is dead, or worse. Either way, I don't think he'll be bothering us again anytime soon. We got Marnie back, and Oleana is under arrest for helping Rose. We're working on breaking open this stupid device that Eternity and Darkest are trapped in now.
That coward waited until I was preoccupied to kidnap Eternity and Darkest. He's got them holed up in his stupid pretentious tower, and it's emitting a barrier that repels anything with Infinity Energy. So no Pokemon can enter, which includes me.
Hop, Marnie and Bede are going to try and talk him down. I'm worried about them, but my own plans aren't much better.
There's a lot to be grateful I think today. Even if it has been a bit of a bumpy year. Even if a lot of it was mired in difficulty, shadow governments and kidnappings and a possible near end of the world...
We're all still here. I'm standing in the kitchen with my best friend making nutpea sauce to go with the 4 4 meat we've prepared. I've got friends at the house, Jon and Martin are here, some friends from the lab ᓚᘏᗢ is stopping by, and of course Zzazz is here with Null watching �aver and I cook.
And... even with all the trouble out there, it's nice. The kitchen is warm, my partners are with me, Zee was just baking and is stopping by later with Fouroh.
I wanted to write all of this down because I know there is always the possibility that I will not clearly be able to recall it by the time next year comes about. Even sitting here now, the thing I'm most grateful for is to still be here. Losing my memory, half my vision, almost... a lot more. I'm grateful to still be alive after all that, working on recovery.
But I'm also grateful for the people I have around me. I don't think I'd have recovered nearly as well without them around.
There's a few I've met recently. Jon, Nil, Martin, hell even Tanner, Nathan and Lynda and the rest of the Taskforce. Places I hadn't thought to find friendship, but never the less, there it is. They've each found a way to make my life richer. Though I think I've blown up Jon's inbox in the process. It turns out we have a LOT to talk about.
And Zee... I mean, she scared the hell out of me this year, but I'd still walk to the end of the earth for her. Just to make sure she's OK. I'm grateful to have a friend like that. Somebody I know I could trust no matter the case.
I'm grateful for Jo as well, of the steel type variety. They've been an anchor through so much strife and steadfast to the end, keeping me grounded. I've never met someone so patient. Particularly patient with me. I'd hope to learn that kind of patience one day.
And of course, to �aver I'm always extremely grateful. He has been doing more than most people see, taking care of both Zzazz and I. I owe him a lot just for that. Just for helping me learn to get around again. I'm grateful to have such a brilliant, kind person in my life. I hope I can repay him somehow one day.
And Zzazz... I mean I'm just grateful to still have her. A year ago the worry was that she might only have a year left or less. And now she's outlived that. In fact, with the advances now in our understanding of ZZaZZ syndrome, she's doing so much better. It's still a struggle. She stays out of chat rooms because the fragmentation to her hands has made it challenging to write any more. But she's still sharp, still quick witted, still herself. And she's still here too. And I owe so much of this to her.
Reaching out to her, that day we met, was a day I did not anticipate would change my life so drastically. And I am so extremely grateful that it has.
Anyway I don't want to burn any of dinner so I'm going to stop writing for now. I hope everyone has a fantastic Gratitude Day. And leave out a gracidea flower for your local Shaymin!
Send a character and ☕/"Tea" to see how my character sees your suggested character through the Deltarune tea mechanics
The amount of HP healing depends on how much the responding character likes the sent character (usually paired with a small symbolic description of how the tea takes too)
(P.S. remember to send an ask to whoever you reblog from!)
[The Following scene takes place off screen 11/8/25 at 9:00 PM]
Tw: bribery, manipulation
Taking time off had never been easy for Simon, but these days it was harder than ever. That same, cloying, unrelenting dread felt easier to ignore when his hands were busy with something. But in the moments when he finally took time for respite, those were the moments when guilt happily joined with his dread to settle into an unholy mix of aching discomfort.
He hated being idle. He hated it almost as much as he hated never being able to *actually* rest. And so it was sitting in his room, fumbling to turn on the light, that he nearly missed the call.
He only just caught it, the notification lighting up bright enough in the dark that it was enough to illuminate his hand's journey towards the light switch.
And there was that name. Not an associated phone number, just a secure chat from the very same Gliscord app he'd seen the man on occasion frequent.
Gonbei-san. That man who's name had so suddenly become a silent threat. Simon hadn't yet learned if he was truly behind Neo Enigma or not.
But now here he was. Calling his phone.
He almost drops it
If he'd had a pulse he was sure it would be pounding in his ears, but instead all he can hear is the shivering of his now constricted breath.
Did he know? Had he caught on? Had he caught him?
Did he have Jon? Or Zee for that matter?
He clicks the button to answer and offers the thinnest, most strangled "Hello?" that he could muster.
"Why hello!" The voice on the other end is a low sounding one, any clarity obscured by a device clearly intended to disguise the voice of the speaker. Though even through the filter, there was a strange warmth, a confident charisma that sounded almost charming beneath the veil of anonymity it so clung to.
"This is Simon Callwell, isn't it?" the voice goes on, easy, inquiring, almost innocent, "I am pleased to finally have the opportunity to speak to you. It has come to my attention that you have an extremely impressive body of work."
"Who is this?" Simon's throat feels almost too dry to manage the words.
It's a foolish question.
Why ask, when he already knows the answer.
But Gonbei-san is patient.
"Why, my apologies." he says, "You may call me Gonbei-san."
His response as always, calm, clear, and so very patient.
"And I would very much like to offer you a job."
The thoughts stop racing, at least a little bit. A job? This wasn't about Jon? He wasn't about to reveal that he'd found his friend trying to sneak into one of the buildings he was holding _YLV_A in and was holding him hostage until he complied?
Perhaps that was still in the cards. He grips the edge of his desk, trying to steady his breaths.
Nothing was for certain yet. He couldn't jump to conclusions. Certainly not when dealing with what may have been the most terrifying phone call of his life.
"Thank you but I.." he fumbles a bit for the words, barely mumbling, "I've already got one."
A ripple of laughter nearly threatens to peak through the audio distortion on the other end.
"Oh, no, my dear boy, this isn't like any lab hand job you've been offered before." Gonbei-san clarifies through his chuckles, "I don't want you to *work* for me. I want to fund you! Your work with Devon Corp was so woefully underappreciated. Criminally so. It's a wonder you didn't quit sooner. I'll admit I haven't got a mind for science, but with the potential I've seen, just from a few short years, I can scarcely believe how they've squandered you. How they've limited you."
The lump in Simon's throat didn't clear, but now it was because he truly didn't know what to say.
"I.. I'm flattered sir, truly." he says again, "But I'm already employed with a lab that I feel best fits my needs. I'm not willing to leave my position for..."
"7 billion poke." Gonbei-san interrupts him.
"I'm sorry?"
"That's where I'd start negotiations." he says, "Of course that would only be your first stipend. I can offer much more in perks, property, I'm sure you'd like at least a nicer private lab than the one you were operating in previously."
"That really isn't-..."
"And of course we'd be willing to fully fund and support any ventures you decided to turn your attention to. Bad Eggs, the ZZaZZ effect, you'd have free reign to pursue any project you wished, no strings attached."
It was only now that Simon began to feel like he could breathe again.
Bribery. Was that really the best they had now? And they were bribing him with something he already had: A space to continue his work, all of his needs easily met. Of course he could improve the Offsite Lab, but that would just take his time and effort
And Gonbei-san couldn't offer him the warmth of the Glitch Lab, the companionship of his friends down here, his co workers, of �aver and Zzazz and their support and comfort.
Why would he ever want to leave for a *stipend*? For money of all things.
"I'm sorry, sir." he says, "I am already content with the position I'm currently in, so I must decline your offer."
Gonbei-san didn't laugh this time. In fact he was quiet for a moment. The silence seems to draw between them for an uneasy second or two, before at last he chuckles again. This time not as hearty. The filter doesn't peak.
"Ah, not to worry, I do understand." Gonbei-san goes on, "I would not expect someone like you to value wealth and the promise of an easy life over the work that you do. And of course that isn't all that I have to offer you."
As he pauses Simon starts to find the words once again to interrupt, but Gonbei-san is not that patient this time.
"After all, it won't be hard to see your name enshrined next to visionaries in every text book cross region, right next to Oak and Sycamore." he goes on, "Professor Simon Callwell, nearly as venerated as the great Professor Oak."
Whatever response Simon had begun had quickly died on his lips. And Gonbei-san smiles.
"This is how great men are made, Simon." he goes on, "It takes more than just knowledge and grit to earn such a position. It takes a spark, one that few have."
"One that you have."
His grin only widens in the silence that spreads between them.
"And of course we can easily have your little Enigma problem dealt with." He goes on, "Just say the word and they're gone. Your region will never see their faces again, just like that."
He snaps his fingers.
"And who knows. Perhaps without all these distractions and the opportunity to put to use your true potential, perhaps you'll even manage to save your Professor."
Simon feels his throat tighten again.
Oh... so he *did* have something to bribe him with. He's quiet this time as he runs it through his mind.
He couldn't say yes. He *knew* he couldn't accept this. But his hands tremble. Just for a day where he felt like he could breathe again. Just for a day where he no longer felt like he needed to worry about whether or not his region would still be there in a month, or a year. Where Fouroh didn't have to turn violent and Zee didn't have to worry about whether their more violent sides would one day wrench them apart.
There would be no more need for Ragon and Dot to worry about more of their friends losing parents. Knowledge that everyone would be safe around him.
And all he had to do was sacrifice himself. Give himself up and this all goes away. Neo Enigma ends, and everyone lives.
The trolley problem was an easy one to solve, after all. The answer was always to throw the switch.
But what would Zzazz say to him when she learned what he'd done?
How would he leave, knowing he could never meet Zee's eyes as he left. How would he explain to �aver why he couldn't live with him any more. Why he had to leave.
How could he leave them all? How could he?
Was it really a greater good if it would still hurt so many. And this was without even knowing what his work would be used to do. What he would be handing over to this man who clearly wanted him so, so much.
"Simon? Are you still there, my boy?"
"I can't," he manages at last, nearly choking on the words.
"What's that?"
"I can't." His voice is stronger now, "I'm sorry. But I'm not able to accept your offer."
And silence again.
"I see."
There's a shift, and a sigh.
"Well, that is very disappointing. But I do understand." Gonbei-san says, "I do hope you may eventually reconsider. But I do hope you have a good rest of your night, Simon."
The line goes dead, and Simon spends the next several minutes staring at the now blank screen.
The call had lasted only fifteen minutes. And it felt like a lifetime.
He drops the phone and backs away. He knows that he needs to tell someone, but for the moment he doesn't even feel like he can breathe.
He walks to the window, stares out at the sky for just a moment, and then shuts it and bolts it and draws the curtains.
It’s a candy corn on the cob! A cob was made of marzipan, and a bag full of candy corn was carefully inserted into it to make a corn cob! How sweet! Very sweet.
(( @ladyzee-oddityhunter ))
Hate to admit it, but this isn't bad. Tastes pretty nice too.
